Last month, I hosted a wine & cheese night and ended up with copious amounts of leftover cheese and baguettes. Lucky me! I had one of those lightbulb moments and decided to make assorted mini grilled cheese sandwiches. Now baguette bread is not the ideal medium for grilled cheese as the irregular and large pores allow for cheese to escape. However, they yield conveniently mini slices, so I was willing to overlook the porous situation.
Assorted grilled cheese sandwiches make for a fun and interactive meal. Thinking of combinations and prepping the ingredients can be as fun as making the sandwich itself. Here are the combos I made that day:
- Fresh Blueberry Balsamic Reduction + Balsamic Bellavitano
- Midnight Moon + Wisconsin Blue Cheese
- Sautéed Oyster Mushrooms + Comte
- Heirloom Tomato + Mozzarella + Basil
- Serrano Ham + Iberico Curado
- Caramelized Onion + Comte
- Sautéed Poblano Peppers + Wisconsin Sharp White Cheddar
There are many different way of making grilled cheese. Here’s how I do it.
Melt salted butter on a flat cast iron pan over low heat. Grill two slices of bread until lightly browned. Turn over both slices so that the browned side is facing up (this will be the inside of the sandwich) and add the filling to one slice. Close the sandwich and grill until the cheese is melted, flipping the sandwich over halfway. I push down with a metal spatula the whole time so the surface is evenly cooked.
An option is to replace the butter with mayo. Spread a thin layer of mayo directly on the bread before you grill and leave out the butter completely.
Regardless of the method, these mini sandwiches are a sure hit! The small size allows for easy experimentation, and you can try out multiple flavors in one meal.
